


The Wake

by Princess of Geeks (Princess)



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode related: SG-1 Season 1: The Enemy Within, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-27 16:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1717184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess/pseuds/Princess%20of%20Geeks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel attends Charlie Kawalsky's wake at Jack's home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ivorygates](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivorygates/gifts).



Daniel generally didn't do parties. Throughout his life before the program, and before Abydos, he'd found them boring. He loved people, and he loved talking, but he just didn't understand or enjoy the kind of small talk that you had to make at parties. He'd either luckily stumble on someone who shared one of his academic or research interests, and have the kind of intense, information-rich conversation he never got tired of, or he put in a dutiful half-hour, swilling cheap wine and getting pointlessly flirted with. 

But this was a party he really couldn't get out of. And he wouldn't have wanted to, even if he could have. It wasn't a party, strictly speaking. It was a wake. A wake Jack was hosting on behalf of Charlie Kawalsky.

Daniel had no idea what to expect. 

There had been no service in the Gateroom, because after the autopsy, Kawalsky's body had been shipped back to New York to his family. So, unlike the full funeral held at a church downtown for Dr. Nimzicki, this gathering was going to be all the formal acknowledgement that the people he'd worked with most recently would get; the only time his teammates and colleagues would all gather to say goodbye. Daniel supposed that other old friends of Kawalsky's might be here too; military types that Daniel would probably have even less in common with than he'd had with the core of Air Force personnel who made up the first gate teams. 

He had to park a ways up the street. He was on time, but apparently every one else was too. 

There were Sam and Teal'c, coming up the street from the other direction. They met at the driveway. Daniel had offered to go up to the Mountain and bring Teal'c, but Teal'c had told him that Sam had had the idea first. Sam smile at him, a there and gone brightness, and Teal'c gave him a nod that was as regal and formal as a salute. 

He wouldn't be stuck in a corner alone, then. Or have to figure out on his own what to say to Ferretti and the other members of SG-2. 

When they got inside, a lot of people were milling around the dining table. The chairs had been removed and food and drink were laid out. A couple of caterers hovered in the background, but it seemed to be serve yourself. Daniel could see through the windows that chairs were arranged in rows on the deck. They greeted several people they knew, and Daniel recognized a bunch of people from the Mountain, and a handful of others he didn't know. Jack was nowhere in sight. 

He poured himself a glass of wine. When he looked around, Teal'c and Sam had drifted away to speak to Dr. Fraiser. He was surprised to see Walter quietly circulating, herding everyone out to the deck. Program first, food later, Daniel surmised. 

He stood aside at the bottleneck at the door, and was among the last to take a seat, setting his glass under his chair in the back row, next to a neatly dressed woman in her thirties with short, light-brown hair who he was sure was not part of the group from the Mountain. She must have been able to interpret his puzzled stare, because she leaned over and said, quietly, "I'm from the old days. Not from NORAD."

"Daniel Jackson," he said, extending his hand, and as she took it, opening her mouth to introduce herself, there was Jack standing behind her in the aisle, looking down at her, his eyes still hollow with grief. It had been less than a week since Kawalsky's death, after all.

The woman must have seen Daniel's gaze track upward, because she turned around.

"Jack," she said, her voice low and urgent, and she got up and hugged him. He pulled her close without hesitation, burying his face in her shoulder in a way that surprised Daniel and piqued his curiousity. He hadn't seen Jack get demonstrative with anybody to this degree. True, there were very few women that he would be likely to do so with, day to day, and he and Daniel rarely saw each other outside of work, which meant Daniel's conclusion may have been erroneous through lack of data, but the embrace had to signal some kind of longstanding friendship. It wasn't casual at all.

He tried not to eavsdrop, but they were standing so close he had to move his elbow and shift in his chair to keep from bumping the back of the woman's leg.

"Thank you for letting me know," she said.

"It only seemed right. I didn't want you to feel like you had to come, but...."

"I wouldn't have missed it. I can tell Andrea all about it when I talk to her tonight."

"Is she all right?"

"As all right as she can be. Peter and Laura are all right too. It had been a long time for them, you know. Longer than for us."

"Still."

"Yeah.... Don't let me keep you; I think your master sergeant down there wants to get started."

"Walter keeps all of us in line."

"And it's ever thus. Is that your CO?"

"Yeah, Hammond. You wouldn't know him; he was sent up here from Lackland a couple of years ago. His glory days were before our time."

She nodded, and Jack quickly went on, "Sorry I can't tell you about--"

"No apology necessary. I know how it is."

"Even still."

"Take care, Jack."

"You too, Sara."

And she stretched up to kiss him on the cheek.

Daniel folded his arms and studiously kept his attention on Walter, who was one of the few people present in uniform. Jack turned and went down front without acknowledging Daniel, and perhaps he hadn't noticed Daniel at all. 

The details added up. Knowledge of Air Force insignia, first-name information about what was presumably Kawalsky's family, perhaps his ex-wife and children, first-name basis with Jack, regretfully informed about the classified nature of Jack and Kawalsky's work.

Daniel was more and more certain that the woman he was sitting next to was Jack's ex-wife. 

Jack spoke, briefly, quietly, introduction and welcome. Hammond spoke, dignified and warm, reading information about Kawalsky's service record, his biographical information, and his next of kin, and Peter and Laura were indeed named as his children. He reminisced, in carefully chosen words, about Kawalsky's heroism, his courage, and his service. And finally he invited others to do the same, reminding the personnel under his command that a mix of participants were present, including some from outside their program.

Somewhat to Daniel's surprise, Jack went first.

He stood at the little podium, for a moment, perhaps gathering his thoughts, scanning the crowd, and Daniel saw him register Daniel's presence, their eyes meeting briefly, but Daniel could see that he immediately shifted his gaze to Sara, and as far as Daniel could tell, he looked at her the entire time he spoke.

"First off, I have to get this off my chest immediately. Shortly before he died, Major Kawalsky promised me that I could have his stereo. I just want to make sure that everyone knows that, because it's important. You know how details get overlooked at a time like this."

The remark drew the laugh that Jack no doubt had hoped for. He chuckled himself, and stood up a little straighter, resting on hand on the flimsy podium. He had no notes that Daniel could see.

"I served with Charlie in several commands, doing all kinds of work for the Air Force, going back to the early 80s. We got into a lot of trouble together, and got out of some of together pretty well. Other times, not so much. Our previous CO for this work we are doing now, that Charlie was doing, with us, I mean, until last week.... Our CO, before General Hammond, had recalled me from duty after I'd tried to retire, and to this day I don't know if he intentionally had tapped Charlie for that assignment too, knowing I would prefer to work with guys I'd known before. Charlie may have volunteered, I don't know. But he was a real bright spot, at that time, let me tell you. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have at my back, in any kind of assignment -- training, combat, S and R, anything."Jack paused, and Daniel could hear some of the words he didn't, couldn't say. "Charlie and I served together for a long time, when you add it all up. He went out swinging. I'm going to miss him. I know we all will." 

Jack paused, looking down, and then turned, leaving the podium clear for the next speaker. There was no program, nothing formal. Simply a succession of people who knew Kawalsky, sharing their memories. Sara didn't speak. Daniel didn't either. Ferretti did, though, and a half dozen others, including Doctor Warner. 

When a long pause indicated that no one else wanted to speak, General Hammond got up again, and led them in singing the Air Force hymn. Daniel was unsurprise to hear that Sara knew all the words, and sang along strongly in a clear alto voice. When he glanced over, she had tears in her eyes. He sang along softly, because he only knew the first verse. Of course many of the people in the audience knew the whole thing. Hardly anyone dropped out. 

Then Jack came to the podium again. "Feel free to hang around, people. Buffet's open. We'll have a toast to Charlie after a bit."

And they were dismissed. 

Daniel felt a little lost in the crowd once again. He was separated from Sara in the move back indoors, and he waited on the crowd to precede him. A couple of people headed back to the Mountain right away, including the doctors, but most people stayed. He drifted toward the bar, filled a new glass because he'd forgotten his other glass out on the deck, and found Jack at his elbow.

"So," Jack said.

"Hi," Daniel said. Jack's eyes had lost that hollow grief, but he looked uncomfortable. 

"So, you met Sara."

"She's your Sara, then. I wondered."

"My Sara," Jack said, looking away, shaking his head. The pause was awkward.

"I, uh, I appreciate what you said about Kawalsky. Thank you," Daniel said.

"Yeah... I was surprised you didn't say a few words."

"I didn't know him as well as so many people here. I think..."

"Short but intense, wasn't it."

"Exactly. I think you said it all, really. You and Ferretti."

"We do what we can," Jack said, and put a hand up and squeezed his arm, just above the elbow, and then he was gone, mingling with the crowd, as a good host should.


End file.
